OREANDA-NEWS. February 17, 2011. AeroSvit – Ukrainian Airlines significantly increased the load factor on the flights to/from Israel. In February 2011 it will grow by 20 percentage points compared to February 2010.

According to preliminary results of tickets booking and sales, the load factor on the majority of AeroSvit’s flights on Kiev – Tel Aviv – Kiev route will amount to at least 80% in the second half of February 2011. For this month, taking into account traditional seasonal decline of passengers’ demand for the present destination, these figures are considered to be rather high.

In particular, on February 9th - the day the intergovernmental agreement on visa regime liberalization between and came into force – the average load factor on the company’s flights was 90%.

"Definitely, we feel demand increase in light of cancellation of visa requirements for the citizens of and . However, the main factor of passenger traffic increase on the flights to Tel Aviv was AeroSvit’s successfully implemented strategy”, remarked Anton Mattis, First Deputy Director General for Commerce at AeroSvit. “Quite in advance – in summer 2010 - we commenced proactive development of the program of flights to , having substantially increased their frequency. Simultaneously, the whole year AeroSvit has been developing its flights network and increasing the number of connections in the base airport Borispol (Kiev). As a result, a convenient flights schedule from Kiev to Tel Aviv provided connections of these with the majority of AeroSvit’s international and domestic destinations. Therefore, the increased point-to-point passenger traffic to was enforced with a substantial transit component ".

Within AeroSvit’s current special offer tickets for Kiev – Tel Aviv – Kiev route (for journeys until March, 31st, 2011) can be purchased for 169 USD (all taxes and charges included). Special prices are available till February, 28th.

AeroSvit Airlines has been providing air carriages between the cities of and since 1994.  The Ukrainian carrier doubled frequency of flights to in the current winter season  in comparison with the previous year’s winter. At present AeroSvit performs 16 flights per week from different Ukrainian cities to Tel Aviv, including 13 flights from Kiev and one flight from Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk.

In summer season AeroSvit intends to continue development of this destination by means of doubling the number of flights to Tel Aviv from regional centers of .

AeroSvit’s experience in the Israeli market, convenient flights schedule and successfully implemented connections model were appreciated by the president of Israel Mr. Shimon Peres, who paid an official visit to Ukraine in November last year. He preferred AeroSvit while choosing the carrier for the flights from Tel Aviv to Kiev and back.

The agreement on visas cancellation between Ukraine and the State of Israel for short-term journeys of their citizens came into force on February 9th, 2011. Since this day the citizens of and are allowed to enter the territory of the other state, transit it or stay without getting a visa for the term of 90 days. Intergovernmental agreement of mutual waiver of visa requirements for the citizens of the two states was signed on July 21st, 2010.